


Little Sparrow

by DragonRose35



Category: Fable (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Character Death, Fluff, Happy Ending, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Lexal is a Shifter, M/M, Magic, Male Slash, Original Characters - Freeform, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-21 13:57:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7389832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonRose35/pseuds/DragonRose35
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Posted From Fanfiction.Net - White Wolf Fan Fiction)</p><p>Hiro is a young prince who struggles with having an older evil brother that has taken over the kingdom, a seemingly unrequited love, and little to no freedom. But when something seemingly impossible happens, binding him to the one he loves, things only go downhill from there when Logan takes advantage of new information and Hiro’s life takes a major turn for the worse.</p><p>The only question is… can he overcome what happens or will everything become too much for him to handle…?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Okay, not my first Fable fanfiction, but I felt this was the most appropriate story to start off with. *smiles* Figured I'd start things off with a bang!
> 
> Just another reminder though, in case you skipped over this in the summary- I am in fact on Fanfiction.Net as are all of the stories I will be posting on here, under the user White Wolf Fan Fiction. And for those of you that know me on there, I would like you to know that things are looking up and that I do in fact know a little bit of what's going on, now, in my life. So I hope I will still have your continued support, because you guys are awesome! *grins*
> 
> Anyway, enjoy~
> 
> ~ D.C. (Wolf)

“Momma?” a young raven haired, blue eyed boy- about five years old- spoke up, his voice quiet in the mildly lit room- all the lights off save for the little blue glowing crystal on his nightstand, playing the softest of melodies that would often help him sleep during the night. The woman- with long beautiful dark brown hair and eyes matching his- standing at the doorway of the large room, about to leave, turned back to him, her smile just as beautiful and gentle as the rest of her.

“Yes, my little Sparrow?” she hummed and the young prince ducked his head, for a single moment, to hide his smile at the nickname.

“Will you tell me that story again?” he asked, eyes wide and bright, sparkling with the light from the crystal and she smiled back, chuckling to herself, when he added, “The one where the… uhm… where the pw-p…pr-incess and… and the knight fall in love?”

“That one again? Are you sure?” she asked, crossing her arms with a smirk, and when he nodded his head eagerly, she complied with another chuckle, moving over to sit on the edge of his bed. She reached over and brushed his hair from his eyes, humming to herself, before she nodded in return, “Alright, Hiro, I’ll tell you the story, but you go straight to bed afterwards. Am I understood, mister?” she questioned in a mock-stern voice and he giggled, nodding his head again before grinning a cute little smile when his mother scooted closer, picking up a small little brown cat stuffed toy and handing it to him.

“I… I pw-promise…!”

“Good, now, hush little one…” the queen whispered, allowing Hiro to cuddle against her side, his head nearly in her lap, as she began the story that he’d not only heard a thousand times already, but had memorized almost completely, even if the queen changed the end of the story a little bit so the prince always went to bed happy, at least. “Once upon a time, long ago, there lived a beautiful princess in a beautiful castle… but that princess was not all she seemed to be. For she had a secret that no one could ever know, lest she get into big trouble with the king. That secret…”

“I know! I know! She was in love with… with the kn-knight!” Hiro giggled, only ducking his head again when his mother sent him a scolding look.

“Hush, Hiro, or do you not want to hear the story?” she chided and he quieted immediately, tugging on her dress sleeve in an almost silent ‘Please continue, Momma!’ and an ‘I’ll be good, I promise!’ rolled into one little plea. “But yes, the princess was in love with a knight… only that wouldn’t be so bad, if it wasn’t for the fact that the knight was a woman herself. And the king forbade all romances, especially for the princess herself, with the same sex…

“The king hadn’t found out, not yet, anyway, but the princess couldn’t risk getting caught with her longing. So when she found out the knight loved her back, well… she became mean and pushed the knight away. Only the knight didn’t leave her alone, because she didn’t understand what it meant if the princess openly returned her feelings and the king found out.”

“What happened then Momma?”

“Hush Hiro,” the queen chuckled and the boy pouted, but did as told, “one day, the princess was out in the forest on her own and the king found out, so he sent the knight to protect her, not knowing what could have happened next. The princess was happy of course, but she was also very upset, knowing that if she and the knight were left alone, surely she would let her feelings for the other woman slip. So she was cruel and vicious, and she did everything to send the knight away, and when she thought for sure her plan to finally make her go away had worked… something unexpected happened.”

“Magic Fa…fai…fairy!” Hiro exclaimed and then clamped a hand over his mouth, sheepish and apologetic and pleading that his mother wouldn’t stop telling the story, but he blushed just a little when his mother only laughed at him instead.

“Yes, Sparrow. You’re right. A magic fairy. The princess and the knight, who was admittedly not in a very good mood because of the princess, got lost in the woods and when they were nearly at each other’s throats because of the princess’ mean actions… a mystical sprite, a magic fairy, appeared to them and had cast a spell on them. A spell that bound them together by magic. Do you remember what that spell did Hiro?”

“Yeah! It… it made it so… so uhm… the p-prin-cess…” he looked so proud of himself for saying the word right on the first go and the woman beamed at her baby boy, “and the knight could… could feel… uhm… Momma…?”

“It’s alright, you were on the right track.” She chuckled and the young prince smiled happily, even as she continued for him. “The spell bound the two young women’s spirits together physically, causing them to feel what the other felt. They felt every touch and every pinprick, down to even the slightest brush of fingertips against their skin. And by that point, not even the knight was very happy about this, except she learned to get over it a little easier than the princess did, if only because the princess had accidentally hurt herself and the knight had felt it and couldn’t stay truly mad at her love forever.”

“Good…! I… I wouldn’t be able to be… be mad at my p-prince…” he paused and she only smiled at him, lovingly and without judgement, so he left the word as is, and continued on, “either…! I… I w-wouldn’t like it if… if they got hurt…”

“I know darling, neither would I. But unfortunately, things happen and sometimes these things aren’t very good. Especially when the knight discovers, this way, that the princess does in fact love her back.”

“A-and they live happy-happ..ily… ever after…! R-right Momma?” Hiro asked, pleading for that to be the end of the story, especially since he knew what really happens next.

“If only my little Sparrow…” she whispered, genuinely sad to tell him this next part. “But after the princess admits to her love that it’s all true… well… the king finds out and the knight is the one punished for it. Because though love is love and even if the knight loved another woman… the king did not find it all very enlightening.

“The princess had pleaded… but the knight was tortured for all their trouble. It was only a week after everything that the king realized that the knight’s punishment was affecting his daughter and he found out about the spell… the curse, he called it. And he sought out the fairy to undue to spell so his daughter could live free of her attachment to the knight, because the king didn’t understand. But…”

Hiro buried his head in his mother’s dress, a little whimper escaping from him at this part and the queen ran her fingers through his hair, comforting him as she spoke.

“Do you wish me to stop, my love?” she questioned and he hesitated before he shook his head.

“N-no… I-I don’t want the story to end without… without the h-happy ending.” He whispered back, his voice slightly muffled but she heard it anyway and she smiled as she nodded.

“When he found the fairy and demanded she removed the spell, she refused, saying that the spell can only be broken by one of two ways. And when the king asked how, she told him, their love, the young princess and the knight, must be recognized and accepted and when that happens, the spell will undo itself. But when the king violently refused this possibility, she told him, coldly, the other way to remove the spell…”

“D-death…” Hiro trembled and she sighed, nodding her head as she looked up at the ceiling.

“Yes, only by the death of the one whose heart was the purest would the spell be broken. And the princess’ heart, according to the fairy, was the purest, despite her cruelness to the knight, to her love. When the king refused to accept this, suggesting that they should kill the knight instead… the fairy warned against it, telling him what would happen. That his daughter, the young princess would be unable to love again… that her heart would shatter with the knight’s death and she would die of heartbreak herself.

“…but the king did not heed her warning.”

“…Momma?” Hiro spoke up, finally lifting his head, tears filling his eyes and she cooed, her heart aching at the sight.

“Yes, little one?”

“If… if I l-loved another b-boy… w-would Daddy pu-puni-ish… me…?” the young prince asked, his voice quivering slightly in fear.

“No, my little Sparrow, of course not… Your father loves you very much, we both do… no matter what you do or who you choose to love.” she shushed him, placing a gentle kiss to his forehead, quelling all negative thoughts.

“I… I don’t want the knight to die M-Momma…” he hiccupped and she sighed, pulling the young child close to her chest.

“She won’t, remember?” she murmured, hating this part. Hating that she had to change the ending so her little Sparrow wouldn’t have nightmares… so he wouldn’t give up hope that love, true love, does exist and that he can find it, just like the princess and the knight in the story. “The knight lives, and she and the princess, they run away to a faraway kingdom, to love freely without care of what others may think.”

“P-pwomise…?” he sniffled and she smiled, nodding her head when his wide blue eyes pleading for her to promise him that one simple little thing.

“I promise you baby, the princess and the knight get their happy ever after. Just like you’ll get yours, someday,” she hummed and he smiled, though it was watery, back at her, before yawning. “Now my little one, it’s time for bed.”

Hiro nodded sleepily, cuddling into the pillows and his blanket, with his stuffed animal, when his mother moved off of the bed, “I love you, Momma…” he whispered and she smiled, leaning down and kissing his forehead good night.

“I love you too, my little Hiro.” She whispered back and before was even out the door, Hiro was out like a light.


	2. Chapter One

"God. Fucking. Hell. On a. Fucking. Bloody. Shit _stick_!" Benn shouted, pacing back and forth along the bloodied grass- the blood from a recent bandit attack on their camp- just outside said camp, with his hands in his very messy, dirty blonde hair.

"Day who bloody knows what and Benn has officially lost his mind…" Kidd grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his green eyes, his dark brown hair sticking up in odd angles from having just woken up.

"Shut the _fuck_ up Kidd…" Benn hissed at him, eyes blazing as he whipped around to stare at the other man. "You'd be pissed as fuck too if only you would just open your damn eyes and realize that we're _short_ a fucking _person_ because a _certain god damn prince_ doesn't know when to quit _risking_ his bloody fucking _life_ for every little wrong thing that we pass!"

"…shit." Kidd grimaced and Benn glared darkly at him before grabbing a thin, silver long sword leaning against a burnt tree stump and he stalked off through the forest, leaving the stunned and frankly, still half asleep Kidd on his own in the camp while Walter and his sister Page were also nowhere to be found.

-0-

"I _thought_ that you said no one knew you were gone…" Hiro whined, as best as he could while also sounding frustrated, the hood to his black cloak concealing his hair and face just enough that the young woman in his care, who had gotten lost in the forest after running away the previous night before, wouldn't recognize him enough to call him out on it.

" _W-well_ …" she started nervously, eyes wide as she looked at the man in front of them, with his lackeys and goons behind him.

"Oi! Shut yer trap an' 'and over the girl!" the man hissed, very obviously drunk, but it was also clear his goons were not and were very clearly able to fight on their own _without_ their leader ordering them about.

"I-I may… m-may have been gone l-longer than the n-night…?" the woman stuttered out and Hiro just barely slumped his shoulders, because _of course_ that's what is happening now.

"Just… hide somewhere and let me take care of these idiots before I take you back home, _safe_ and _sound_." He told her, his tone sharp at the end, a clear order and she, thankfully, obeyed him. The man didn't find this very amusing, however, despite it not having meant to be so, and threw out his arm in a ridiculous attempt to lunge at Hiro. The prince managed to successfully dodge him, but couldn't dodge the swipe of a sword from another goon, one that had taken the swipe from the leader as the signal to attack. "Just give up now and let us go in peace…!"

"Not on yer life!"

"Well… just don't say I didn't ask nicely…" muttering to himself, Hiro managed to take out the leader without any help of his magic or his sword, knocking him back against a tree and he barely held back a cringe from the crack sound his head made against the hard burnt wood. The first goon was a little harder to take out, with three others at his sides and back, trying to disarm him and send him backwards at the same time.

He used his magic, a particularly weak wind blast spell to send two of the goons back, feigning that he pushed them away himself, and took a swipe with his sword at the one in front of him, knocking him back against the ground and making _sure_ he couldn't get back up. This time he didn't cringe as much as the first time, aware that after a few years of doing this, he was about as used to hearing bones crack and snap as much as someone his age could get used to the sounds.

Turning to the other goons, he was pleased to find that one of them had run while the other two looked about _ready_ to run away. "Am I going to have to ask again or…?"

"Yer fuckin' crazy!" one of them hissed at him and he only smirked, blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight filtering through the trees that _weren't_ burnt.

"Maybe." He countered, expertly sticking his sword in the ground and within the next second, he had his bow out and armed. "I'm going to give you to the count of- oh." He blinked, startled when one of the two ran away, shrieking like a little girl. He couldn't help it, a giggle bubbling up before turning into full on laughter, except he _really_ shouldn't have let his guard down.

In five seconds flat, he went from laughing to shouting curses when he was knocked back, sharply against a tree, his head cracking against the wood much like the leader's own had, only he wasn't knocked unconscious.

"O-okay… not a big fan of- ow…" Hiro huffed out, getting up and straightening his hood before the man could do anything else and he made a quick move to grab his sword, before turning on the man, holding it out. "Last chance?" he grinned cheekily, as best as he could with blood running down the side of his face and nearly into his eyes from the knock to the head.

"We're takin' that girl and yer not gonna get in our way!"

"…right." Hiro sighed and without thought, lunged forward, matching the man's sword swipe for swipe, just a little stronger and a little faster, pushing him back until they were at the edge of a ditch and Hiro pushed him into it, cringing fully now with the scream the man let out as he fell.

Hiro turned away before he hit the ground and sheathed his sword, walking over to pick up his bow and he put it away before turning towards the hiding spot the young woman had picked out.

"You can come out now," he told her, and turned away again, ready to start back towards the village before any more unwelcome visitors showed up.

"W-wha…? W-who are you? T-that was a-amazing!" she gushed, rushing up to meet his fast pace, clinging to his arm, much to his annoyance and awkwardness- he wasn't used to having a girl, or anyone for that fact, hang off of him, if his blush was any indicator of that fact.

"Just… just a friend… a-and please don't touch…?" he cleared his throat, relaxing significantly when she let go of his arm, apologizing profusely about her behavior. "It's okay…" he added in a softer tone, offering a smile back to her, before offering a last promise to get her home safe and sound.

-0-

The minute Hiro returned the girl to her family, he left before anything could be said or done, back into the forest and out of the village as fast as he could. He didn't want to be stopped by anyone who would recognize him, or worse… by the guards in the village that came from King Logan's castle.

When he returned to the parts of the forest he knew best, he let a weary smile cross his face that didn't leave it until he came upon a thin, crystal river, one of the few left untainted by Logan's destructive reign. When he pulled down his hood and bent down to splash water in his face, he was unsurprised when he heard barking from the other side, before a black and white dog came jumping across stones, avoiding the actual water, until he was by the young prince's side. "Hello to you too, Lexal." Hiro chuckled, shrugging off his cloak, hanging it up on the branch of a tree near where he was standing.

Lexal, the dog, snorted and ducked his head, sitting down on the ground.

"What?" Hiro asked, frowning now and he sighed when the dog huffed again. "Don't get all huffy with me, mister. That young woman needed my help, and my mother always taught me to help those in need, no matter the cost."

Lexal growled low in his throat before standing up and he jerked his muzzle towards the blood now staining the water.

Hiro at least had the gall to look apologetic before he took off his shirt, hanging it up beside the cloak. "I know… I let my guard down, but only for a few seconds. They got in a lucky shot, I'll admit, but nothing worthwhile." He assured and Lexal only growled again before making a noise in sharp confusion when Hiro shot him a look. "Lexal… I need to get washed up…" he started slowly and when Lexal only tilted his head in more confusion, Hiro blushed and cleared his throat, before motioning to his trousers and then to the water.

Lexal did not look impressed.

Hiro groaned and scrunched his nose up at the dog, "Look, just because you're… you know, a _shifter_ doesn't mean I can get undressed in front of you. Because, you _know_ you're not _actually_ a dog." Hiro huffed out himself before snickering when Lexal made an affronted noise, at being called out on what he was. "Don't deny it mister, and _besides_ Benny-boy may be okay with you doing stuff like that, but I'm not. So… if I were you, I'd wait until you're boyfriend gets here to drag me back to camp and _turn around_ , please? So I may get washed _before_ he does?"

Lexal grumbled to himself, his tail flicking back and forth, but he eventually did as told, turning around so Hiro could get undressed all the way before he got into the river to wash the blood from his skin and his hair.

"Honestly, I don't get what's so wrong about me going off doing things like this, you know? I'm trying to make a difference in this chaotic world my _brother_ has created… and if that means getting myself hurt along the way, and maybe even _killed_ , it's a risk I'm willing to take."

"You _stupid_ son a fucking _bitch_. How _dare_ you say you're willing to _die_ for all of those ungrateful bastards out there?!" Hiro flinched when he heard Benn's voice, but didn't turn around as he finished rinsing the blood from his face and his head.

"I don't regret my decisions, Benn," Hiro said, his voice calm and smooth, a big contrast to how he was feeling on the inside, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He never liked it when his friends got involved with his suicidal plans, or even knew that he was planning on going out fighting this war against his brother, because he _knew_ they were suicidal, he did. That didn't stop him from trying to make a difference though, like he told Lexal.

"You… you… argh! You're so fucking selfish, do you even _understand_ what you're saying?"

"Yes." He answered, knowing full well the consequences of his words.

Benn was dangerously silent behind him, seething no doubt, and Hiro waited a few minutes, to either let the blonde cool down or boil in his anger. When he finally turned around, Benn was glaring daggers at him, obviously still pissed, but Hiro couldn't help but giggle when he saw Lexal circling him, trying to brush up against him, but Benn apparently wasn't in the mood for any of Lexal's antics.

"Lexal, leave poor Benny-boy alone, okay? And turn back around so I can get dressed again, _both_ of you, please?" he pulled up his precious puppy face, just for Benn, and reluctantly, the blonde did so, waiting barely a minute before turning back around. The second Hiro had his cloak back on, not bothering with his hood, he grabbed the prince roughly before dragging him back in the direction of the camp. "H-hey! Ow, okay, Benn! That _hurts_ …!" he whined and Benn only glared at him, not answering with a verbal response.

Lexal made a noise behind the two and Hiro only barely managed to sneak a look behind them, relaxing when he saw the dog grab his sword and bow, before following after them.

-0-

"Why the bloody hell is Hiro tied to a tree?" Walter questioned, sounding annoyed, and even more so when all the prince in question did was grin up at him, tilting his head up in greeting.

"Long story short, Hiro left, pissing Benny-boy off, and when they returned, Benn tied Hiro up so he couldn't leave again." Kidd hummed, sitting next to the campfire with a bowl of beef stew in his hands.

"Pointless really, since you all know I can get myself out of this easily," Hiro piped up and Lexal huffed out a laugh, from where he was lying beside the young prince.

"Right… and where is Benn?" Page questioned, frowning slightly, more annoyed than the old man was.

"He's brooding in his tent. He won't even let _Lexal_ in there with him, and that's saying something," Kidd snickered, even more so when Lexal whined pitifully.

"Well, tell him to stop brooding," Page growled out, crossing her arms. "We have to move camp, _again_. Guards were spotted near the river south of here."

Hiro deflated and sighed, nodding to Lexal when the dog perked his head up, and while the others went around packing their things up, he watched as Lexal shifted, from a dog to a man- tall with black and white hair and stunning onyx eyes- before making his way to Benn's tent.

He himself worked to get out of the rope tying him to the tree and when he was free, he started helping out, knowing it was best to lie low for a few days at least. If only just to let Benn simmer down enough to forgive him for his words said earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: ...I think I'm starting to hate working with HTML codes on this thing... But I'm not about to give up, you guys! So hang in there with me, okay? *grins sheepishly*
> 
> ~ D.C. (Wolf)


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! I figured out how to switch from code to word! Thanks to a friend of mine~
> 
> ~ D.C. (Wolf)

"Where _is_ he!?" Logan roared, tearing up his room, seething at the guards before him.

"A-apologies your Majesty… Prince Hiro-"

" _What_ did you call _him_ …?" the king whipped around, stalking towards the guard that spoke and Reaver- who stood near the door of the king's bedroom- smirked, his coffee eyes sparkling with twisted delight.

"I do believe he called the young Sparrow, _prince_." Reaver snickered, ignoring Logan's hard look at him calling Hiro, 'Sparrow.' He never could quite shake the little nickname their mother had for the young prince, not even after the late queen passed away, leaving Logan the king of Albion.

"My _little brother_ … is _not_ a prince, any longer…" Logan growled, getting right up into the guard's face, making the man quiver in his steel plated boots. "And if I _ever_ hear you call him so again, I will _personally_ punish you myself… Am I understood?"

"Y-y-yes your H-highness…!"

"Now get your arses _out_ there and _find him_!" he shouted, before watching as the guards scrambled to get out of their king's frightful presence. When they were well and truly gone, he turned to Reaver, a dark and dangerous look on his face, one that almost had even the immortal worried about his own wellbeing. However, Reaver only kept the smirk on his face when the king addressed him, "I have… a _very_ important job for you, Reaver," Logan started, low and unhurried, circling him now, much like a predator would his prey, "my little brother has been a nuisance for _far_ too long… and as my guards are to incompetent to handle the job… I want _you_ to find him… and _kill_ him, once and for all."

Reaver's eyes narrowed, but only a fraction, not enough for the king to call him out on it and he gave a little mock bow, humming to himself. And without a word, he left the king on his own, deciding to pay a certain little prince a visit.

-0-

Hiro groaned, unable to help it, bored out of his mind. Lexal and Benn were off doing only the gods knows what, Page was out scouting the path ahead of them, and Walter was meeting with a few of the allies they still had left in this war… leaving poor Hiro on his own with _Kidd_ , who had taken up the habit of recounting several, possibly exaggerated, and incredibly annoying stories of his past.

"Kidd… can we just… sit in silence for a little while?" Hiro pleaded, not wanting to sound rude, but he was bored and frustrated and he just wanted Kidd to shut up so he could _think_ and finally figure out what to do.

"What has your bow in a knot, huh?" Kidd questioned and the young prince sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm just… bored, is all…" he muttered, deciding to go with the truth. "I haven't left Benn's sight in _three_ days, and the only reason I am now is because he told _you_ to make sure I don't wander off and do something _stupid_." Flailing his arms about, Hiro fell back against the ground, the fall causing him to lose some of his breath, but he didn't care much about that at the moment.

"Ah, I see, well, as it just so happens to be, I know a temple nearby that I can take you to, if you'd like?"

"A temple…? Wait, you mean the-" Hiro sat up, cutting himself off with a frown.

Kidd nodded, "Aye, the one rumored to be filled with Hollowmen," he snickered and Hiro couldn't help the itch in his fingers, wanting to pick up his blade so he could _finally_ do something instead of sit by the fire in the camp they'd set up.

"As… as _tempting_ as that sounds…" Hiro feigned a sigh and shook his head, before standing up and he stretched out. "I've got to-" he cut himself off again, making awkward gestures to the forest and Kidd barked out a laugh.

"Alright, just don't take too long, Benny-boy'll have my head if he finds out I let you go out on your own, even if it's just to take a piss." Hiro coughed slightly to cover up the word, never quite comfortable enough with that definition of the curse word, but he nodded anyway and took off, thankful enough that Kidd didn't question his reasoning for needing to go.

He left his bow back at the camp, not exactly needing it, but made sure he kept his sword with him, as he walked through the forest, only rounding back when he was sure he was at a far enough distance away from the camp that Kidd wouldn't know where he was going. And after using his magic to cover up his tracks, he took off running for the temple, the one he happened to know _very_ well.

It's been years since he's been to this particular temple, not since his mother had died, but he still knew the way by heart.

"It hasn't changed a bit…" he whispered, mostly to himself, carefully stepping onto the grounds, not quite wanting to fight any Hollowmen just yet. Eventually, but not right now.

The flowers had died and withered, dried up stalks of what they used to be, and Hiro made a mental note to try and take care of the place again once he was king. But for now, he picked a few wildflowers outside of the temple and walked through the giant hall, up to the throne like pedestal at the very back of the temple, placing the flowers there before kneeling down to pray at it.

"I promise you Mother… one day I'll beat Logan and I'll make everything right again…" he whispered, hoping that his mother heard his prayer.

"Oh how sickeningly _sweet_ …" Hiro let out a sharp breath of surprise, eyes wide as he whipped around, catching sight of the dark silhouette in the shadows before they narrowed when he recognized who exactly it was.

"How did you _find_ me?" he asked, standing up, rigid and tense, his fingers itching towards his sword, staring at Reaver with hate and sorrow in his eyes. Once upon a time he had looked up to Reaver, having followed him everywhere he went… and then his mother died and Logan became king and had Reaver wrapped around his finger before Hiro could even stop crying over it all.

Reaver hummed, coming out into the candle-lit hall and he tilted his head at the young prince before making his way over, turning his attention to the pedestal, silent for a few moments. "You're not the only one with magic, little Sparrow." He said in answer, when Hiro was about to repeat his question, only in a more harsh tone this time. When Hiro frowned in confusion, Reaver grabbed a medallion, hidden under his shirt and coat around his neck, showing the young prince the little bird, with eyes like blood and feathers blackened in the night, though the silver of the medallion shone like gold in the candlelight around them.

Hiro let out a small noise of pain when he saw it, recognizing it to be his mother's old medallion, the one she had once said helped her find him, no matter where he was. "H-how…?"

Reaver closed his eyes, silent again, this time though longer, before he tucked the medallion away and he smirked, opening his eyes again to look at the young prince. "A… _parting_ gift… shall I say?" Though the truth was far from how he said it, it still got the desired reaction as Hiro growled, unsheathing his sword and he lunged at the immortal.

"Y-you bastard!" Reaver laughed, a loud cocky sound to the young prince, but still oh-so beautiful as it echoed through the halls of the temple. Reaver dodged every one of his attempts to harm him, his white coat fluttering this way and that with his movements, but Hiro was determined to get in at least one swipe that would inevitably wipe that cocky smirk off of the immortal's face. "How _could_ you!? After _everything_ Mother did for you!?" Hiro shouted at him, panting heavily in his anger and hurt, his heart clenching painfully.

Reaver was still smirking though and his tone was teasing and light, "Oh, but little _Hiro_ , you misunderstand-" the lights flickered, cutting off Reaver's sentence and they both froze, though Hiro a second longer than Reaver. It was enough time, however, for Reaver to pin the young prince against one of the pillars in the temple, the hard stone digging into Hiro's back as the prince dropped his sword in his shock. "Tsk, tsk, little Sparrow…" Reaver purred, his voice low and smooth and Hiro turned his head away.

"G-get off of me…" his voice quivered, though he made no move to struggle, frozen as he was, whether in fear… or something else.

"Now… why would I do that, little prince?" Reaver chuckled, shifting so he had both of Hiro's wrists pinned in one hand above them, using the other to force Hiro to look at him. It didn't work, not at first, because he closed his eyes as tight as he could.

"B-because… y-you can't do this anymore..."

"I've never heard you complain before," Reaver hummed in the low candlelight, his mind no longer on the fact that they were in deed in a haunted temple, one that could come alive at any moment, should they not be careful.

Hiro hung his head, a dark blush covering his cheeks, before he jerked away, having had enough, "I… I told you Reaver… no more and… and I _meant_ it last time."

"That, my dear little Sparrow," Reaver growled out, if only just to tease Hiro a little bit more, "was what you said before last, as well, was it not?"

"S-shut up!" Hiro tore himself from Reaver's grip, stumbling away. "I'm not playing around! I'm _done_ Reaver! I don't want to do this anymore!" His eyes were open now, though his bangs were shadowing them, covering up the emotional war that was sure to be found there. "I… I'm not some stupid, pathetic little teenager anymore… I… I don't _need_ you. S-so why don't you just go back to your _master_ and leave me alone!?" he snapped, not even caring that he crossed a line, as Reaver's expression darkened at his words, the smirk just a little more dangerous now.

"You never learn, do you?" Reaver spoke, his voice tight and Hiro trembled, frozen to where he stood, "You may say you don't need me, but I know the _truth_ …" he added and Hiro flinched, because yes, he knew that Reaver knew… it wasn't much of a surprise anymore, but Hiro also knew what he said was the truth too.

"So what? I… I'll get over it…" he choked out, fists clenched tightly as he stared Reaver directly in the eyes, trying to stand his ground. "Maybe not now… or in a month or even a year, but… I meant what I said. I don't need you, Reaver."

"No, of _course_ you don't," Reaver teased, before his expression changed, to a lighter one, "but _really_ , it's a wonder how Logan doesn't know about… well, you _know_ …" Hiro tensed with those words and his expression darkened.

"I'm already on Logan's wanted list, there's nothing more you can say or do that will make him hate me even more than he already does." Hiro spat, his voice trembling, the candle's flickering again. "J-just… just _leave_ Reaver… before I-"

"Before you… what? Come now, little Sparrow, we all know you won't be able to hurt me-"

The candle's flickered again and Hiro growled low to himself, his chest tight and he felt as if he was wound tighter than a bowstring. " _Reaver_!" he snapped, picking up his sword the second that the lights all went out and both men tensed, the tell-tale blue orbs appearing from out of nowhere before they materialized as Hollowmen. "God damn it, Reaver!"

Reaver glared back at him, his gun out and loaded, and as Hiro began to attack those closest to him, he could hear the shots being fired from Reaver's gun. A familiar sound that reminded him of days, when he was younger, when Reaver would teach him how to use his gun… and the sweet little hidden kisses whenever he managed to hit a target. "Sparrow, watch your back." Reaver hissed at him, just in time for Hiro to whip around, bringing his sword with him and he destroyed the Hollowman with one hit.

"T-thanks…" Hiro muttered, ducking his head when he saw the smirk cast in his direction; it didn't help that the smirk happened to be one of his more genuine ones. "J-just focus on getting rid of these stupid things…!"

"As you wish, little prince," Reaver laughed, taking off one of the Hollowmen's heads, watching as it cracked against a pillar behind the dead man. Hiro rolled his eyes, though they sparkled as he twisted around, using a blast of fire magic to take out two Hollowmen before using his sword for a third.

As they danced around the room, destroying each Hollowman that appeared, Hiro's blood thrummed with adrenaline and his heart soared in his chest, just like old times. He barely realized how close he and Reaver had gotten until there was only one Hollowman left and all of a sudden, Reaver pulled him close, their chests pressed as close as they could, their breath mingling and Hiro's lidded ocean eyes met Reaver's glinting coffee. "R-Reaver…?" he whispered, barely even flinching when Reaver's gun went off one last time before their lips met and Hiro didn't even _try_ to stop the immortal this time.

"See?" Reaver teased him, chuckling when he pulled back, "You can't resist me forever, little Sparrow."

"Maybe…" Hiro mumbled, frowning now and he sighed, pulling back, "but I can try." He added, even as he leaned in for one more kiss. He pulled back, before Reaver could take advantage of him again, and he sheathed his sword, turning away. "You should go… my brother will be wondering where you've gone to."

"No, he won't," Reaver muttered, catching Hiro's attention, blue eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Reaver frowned this time, pulling at his coat and straightening it before putting away his gun, "Your friends on the other hand," he started, to change the subject instead, "will be here any second, no doubt," he added with a smirk, especially when Hiro cringed, a look that clearly made him out as guilty on his face now. "Don't worry, _love_ ," he laughed at Hiro's little glare for the endearment, especially since it was said in a mocking tone, "we'll see each other again soon."

Hiro turned away, not sure how to reply to that, but the second he turned back, Reaver was gone and all that remained was the still smoking candles, the bones littering the temple grounds, and the phantom kiss he could still feel on his lips.

-0-

"That was some _piss_ break…" Benn hissed at him, eyes narrowed, when he returned, but Hiro only shrugged, silent as he walked to his tent. "What the hell got into him?"

"Maybe he finally realized how annoying your voice is?" Page snickered and Benn grumbled to himself, crossing his arms in answer.

Lexal smirked at the quip but didn't agree to it, leaning in close to Benn, wrapping his arms around the other and nuzzling his cheek. "Don't let her bother you, dove, your voice is amazing, just like everything else about you," he cooed and Page pretended to gag, as Benn blushed, but smiled, and turned to accept a kiss from the shifter.

"Oh, get a _room_ …!" Kidd was the only one laughing at this point.

-0-

"You okay kid?" Walter questioned, following Hiro into his tent, leaning against one of the wooden poles holding the cloth up. "You look as if you seen a ghost."

Hiro barely cracked a smile at the words, knowing that Walter somehow knew what he'd faced, at the temple, except he didn't know if Walter knew he actually _went_ to the temple. "I… I visited Mother…" he whispered and Walter sighed, nodding his head before walking over to the young prince, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"That's not it, though, is it." It wasn't a question, but a statement, like he _knew_ and frankly, Hiro wouldn't be surprised if he did.

But he said it anyway, as he reached up to touch his lips, because Walter was the only one that knew of what happened in the past, "Reaver… he… I… Walter he…"

"I know kid, I know…" Walter let out a frustrated breath, but he didn't get angry, because he _did_ know. "I thought you said that you were done with him."

"I-I did… I-I _told_ him I was done. B-but… Walter I… h-he's _right_ …" he choked out, burying his face in his hands and he sat on a small wooden box, unable to hold his weight anymore. "I-I still love him… a-and I can't just… _stop_ loving him…"

"He's only going to use you again, if you give him the chance." Walter said, stern, and he hated how hard his words were, but they had to be said. Hiro only looked up at him, eyes watery and sad and heartbroken and Walter knew then that even if Hiro already knew that, he'd let it happen, again and again. "I know…" he said, instead, and watched as Hiro dropped his head again, words unspoken but the gesture said everything he needed to. "I know."

-0-

"Reaver…" Logan growled out and Reaver hummed in answer, tilting his head up, eyes glinting.

"Perhaps… if you had more competent guards?"

Reaver didn't even _flinch_ when Logan threw a vase at him, letting it fly over his head, " _Find_ him, Reaver… and _kill_ him. I won't tell you _again_."

Reaver knew those words for what they were: _Don't return without Hiro's head. Without proof that he's well and truly dead._

So he left, debating whether to follow Logan's order… or not.

But Hiro's words rang loud in his head and his expression darkened as he thought it over, finally making up his mind.

"Logan is _not_ my master."


	4. Chapter Three

"We're nearing Albion's border-"

"I am _not_ leaving my people behind to endure the chaos my brother has brought upon my kingdom."

"No, Hiro, _enough_. We're not leaving Albion behind, what Page was trying to say is-"

"-yes, _thank you_ Benn… What I was trying to say is that the border of Albion is enforced by _magic_. Magic so powerful that only a caster as powerful as-"

"Page."

"…sorry, Walter… I'm sorry Hiro… I know it's only been-"

"No… it's okay. I get it. Only someone as powerful as Mother could get through and back. But what does this have to do with anything?"

Page sighed and shook her head, looking around her at the forest around them, which was a more vibrant green than the woods they'd passed through earlier. "My point is that the forest beyond this point, surrounding Albion's border, is home to a powerful magic, one belonging to a… creature of some sort."

"Wait… you're not talking about-"

"Yes, _Benn_ , I am."

"Oh come _on_ Page," Benn rolled his eyes, hand idly petting Lexal's head, the dog sat by his side as he lazily listened to their conversation. "That creature is nothing but a legend. The forest is just… magical. It's possible that over time, the magic that was already there had gotten stronger on its own."

"What… creature?" Hiro questioned, frowning in confusion and curiosity.

"It's a dumb story mother's tell their kids," Benn huffed out, frowning at Hiro, who had obviously tried to hide a flinch at the words. "Sorry, Hiro… anyway. It's about this creature, a woman or something… er, no, a _fairy_ , I think… who bewitches couples and it's actually all really horrid, especially since these stories originated in a time where same-sex romances were forbidden-"

Hiro froze, eyes wide.

"What, you mean like what _King Logan_ ruled?" Page snarled, and Benn flinched this time, his hand stilling on Lexal's head and the dog whined, sensing his lover's distress at the subject. "That's one of the reason's you're running from Logan, isn't it? You and Lexal?"

"Aside from the obvious reason of wanting Hiro to be king? Yeah…" Benn muttered and Walter frowned, looking at the others before pausing on Hiro, eyes narrowing at the youngest's expression.

"Hiro…?"

Ducking his head, Hiro turned away, fists clenched tightly.

"The… the p-princess and the knight…" he breathed out, looking out at the forest, tears in his eyes.

"What?" Benn questioned, sharing a look of confusion with Page.

"It… it's the story my mother used to tell me, when I was little. A story about how a princess and a knight, both women, fell in love because of a magical creature, a fairy that cast a spell on them. It was to make them realize what they had between them, to make them see how special it was. But..." he choked on his words and shook his head, trying to get back the breath he lost, the memories hitting him with full force. "Excuse me…" he muttered, walking away from the camp and away from the others.

When Benn stood up to follow, Walter stopped him with a shake of his head, and Benn sat back down, sharing a look of worry with Lexal and Page.

-0-

The forest was… beautiful. A vibrant green with gorgeous flowers of all colors, shapes, and sizes. It reminded him of his mother, who was the most beautiful woman he'd ever known and… he missed her.

So much.

"I-it's not… _fair_ …" he whispered, wiping away at his tears. "Not Mother, not Logan, not Reaver… not _anything_ … I-I thought… M-Mother, y-you promised I'd have a happy ending… W-where is that happy ending, huh?" he spoke with his head tilted up towards the blue sky, tears running down his cheeks.

When he didn't receive an answer back, he hung his head and continued walking through the forest, his mind blind to everything around him.

He only started slowing down when he felt his magic course through his veins and his breath stuttered, his eyes widening a little. "Magic…?" he whispered, looking up again and he was surprised to note that he was on temple grounds. "Where… where _am_ I…?" he asked, unable to help it, even as a curious little smile twitched at his lips and he held out his hands, fire sparking in his palm.

His magic itched and he trembled, want filling him to the brim and his fingers itched to let his magic out.

So he did, letting his wind pick up, blowing the trees and the flowers and the grass and his own self gently back and forth. And he created puddles in the forest with his water, giggling to himself as he danced around the water and he created fire, though he kept that strictly to his hands only, lest he accidentally set something on fire.

"Mmn, there's something so… _sexy_ about your magic that gets me all… _fired_ up."

Letting the fire in his hands disappear, Hiro turned around, glaring through his still watery eyes. "Go away Reaver." He turned away and started walking again, back through the forest, though he refused to go back in the direction of his camp.

"Aw, _babe_ , why are you so _cold_?" Reaver snickered, following after the young prince, content with teasing the other for now, Logan's orders far from his mind at that point.

"Don't you have some helpless puppy to torture?" Hiro spat instead, shoulders bunched up.

"Ouch."

"Go _away_ Reaver… stop following me!" Hiro shouted, whipping around and his breath hitched when he realized how close Reaver was to him now. The smirk the older man wore didn't go unnoticed, of course, and Hiro backed away, or at least… he _tried_ to.

His back hit a tree trunk before he even registered the fact that he was officially cornered and he whimpered, realizing that if Reaver tried anything now, he wouldn't have the heart to push him away. "What's wrong, little Sparrow?" Reaver cooed, leaning in close, aware that Hiro's hands were against his chest in a pathetic attempt to push him away.

"S-stop… I-I don't… n-no…" Reaver frowned when Hiro started to tear up, but he ignored the tears in favor of stealing a kiss. He was mildly surprised when Hiro managed to find the strength and push him away, far enough that when he also got in a punch, it was hard enough that Reaver stumbled away, a hand against his reddening cheek.

Glaring daggers at Hiro, to cover up his shock and surprise, he faltered when he saw the now stormy blue eyes glaring back at him, tears streaking down red cheeks and fists clenched.

"I said _no_." Hiro spat, reaching a hand up to wipe at his tears. "I don't want to do this anymore if you're only going to use me!"

Reaver's eyes narrowed, his body tensing at the young prince's words and he barked out a harsh humorless laugh, "What _else_ would this be? What? Do you _actually_ think I could _love_ you back?"

Hiro's gaze was level, but it was heartbroken, and impossibly honest, "No…" his voice broke, but it left no doubt in Reaver's mind that Hiro thought for sure that was the truth.

"Then _why_ deny yourself this?" Reaver questioned, his voice smooth once more as he tried to take a step forward, but Hiro stopped him with the turn of his head. "I'm offering you a part of what you _want_ … or is that just not enough anymore for the pretty little _prince_?" he lowered his voice, reaching out to brush his fingers against Hiro's cheek and when Hiro snatched his wrist, he thought he'd be pushed away. He was surprised when Hiro only leaned into the touch.

"…yes…" the single word was whispered with a broken voice now and Reaver ignored the fact that his heart skipped a beat at how wrong it was to see the normally brilliant prince like this.

Hiro trembled as he felt his magic itch once more and wind blew all around the two, causing him to press closer to Reaver, without realizing he was doing so.

"Well… it's been a while since I've had a royal in my forests…" With a gasp, Hiro tore himself away from Reaver, and both turned to face a woman dressed in an autumn leaf dress, with a flower crown atop her head and over long beautiful auburn hair. "And what is this? Yes, I see… I'm here for a reason then…" she added, with a tilt of her head, as she regarded the two men staring at her with confusion and wariness.

"And who might you be?" Reaver asked, standing up straight, his now dark brown eyes narrowed with distrust.

She ignored him though and turned her attention to Hiro, who had his back against a tree, and she suddenly smiled, one gentle and mother-like and he relaxed, his magic telling him he was safe. "What is your name, young prince?" she asked, ignoring Reaver's huff at having been ignored by her.

"Hiro…" he answered, voice soft and slightly hesitant, eyes wide as she walked towards him.

"Hiro… the young prince of Albion, yes?" When Hiro nodded, less hesitant this time, she hummed and reached out, brushing her finger against his forehead and then his cheek. "You look as beautiful as your mother, when she last visited me."

"Y-you know my mother?" Hiro asked, giving the woman a look of awe and wonder before sharing a look of confusion with Reaver, who looked unimpressed after a second of catching Hiro's gaze.

"Yes…" the woman sighed softly, looking sad then, "I'm sorry for your loss… she was a wonderful queen. And I'm sure you'll be an even better king."

Hiro frowned then and looked down, closing his eyes, "No king or queen would be better than my mother…" he whispered and Reaver frowned, looking at the young prince and for the first time he saw how _young_ the prince actually looked.

"Perhaps, but she had high hopes for you," the woman said before adding, "and I'm sure as great of a king you will be, you'll be an even better one with the one you love by your side."

Hiro jerked away, as if having been struck and the woman looked the epitome of confused, not knowing why that happened. "No… no, I… that can't h-happen…" and if that didn't pull on Reaver's heart strings, he wasn't sure what would.

"I see... I understand now. Your love, he is-"

Hiro turned away, his back towards the woman and towards Reaver. That was enough for the woman to finally turn her attention to Reaver, her dark eyes narrowed at him and he scowled back. " _What_?"

"You're Reaver, the one little Hiro loves?"

"So what?" Reaver tilted his chin up, eyes narrowed still back at her, tense as a log.

"You love him back." She said, her voice as monotone as possible and he jerked back, eyes wide, before he glared at her again, missing how Hiro's head jerked back towards them, his own blue eyes wide now.

"W-what…?"

"I don't." His heart tugged when he heard the shaky breath behind him, but he ignored them both.

"Then why stay with him like you do?" she asked and Reaver snorted, crossing his arms.

"Sex is sex. I don't care who it's with, but I like what he has to offer me, and in return, well, he gets to have part of what he wants." The woman seemed displeased at his answer and Reaver frowned, unsure what was going through her mind now. So maybe what he said wasn't the entire truth, but no one needed to know that but him.

"You deny it then. Fine." She took two steps towards him and before he had even a fraction of a chance to move away from her, she snatched his arm and he hissed at the tight grip she had on him. Through narrowed eyes he watched her hold her other hand out to the young prince, who stared at her with uncertainty.

"W-why me…?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper and she only offered him a smile.

"Everyone deserves a happy ever after, Hiro…" she answered and without another thought, though with a little hesitance, he reached out and let her take his own wrist into her outstretched hand.

The second her hand closes around his wrist his magic hums within him, reacting to her own, and one second he's wondering if he's flying and then the next…

…nothing.

-0-

" _What_ did you _do_ to him?" Reaver spat, kneeling on the forest floor next to Hiro, who was blissfully unaware of anything now, captured within the web of sleep.

"I've put him to sleep, to let his magic settle with the after effects of my spell."

" _Spell_!? What did you do to _us_!?"

"I've bound you."

"…what the fuck…?"

"Your souls to be exact. Unfortunately," she paused with a frown, irritation in her voice, "your immortality has countered most of the effects of my spell towards you, personally, but I was still able to connect your soul to Hiro's own, though barely."

"What exactly does that mean?" He asked, eyes narrowed, and his fingers itched towards his gun.

"He can feel what you feel, every touch and every pinprick, just as you will feel a mild version of that with his own pain. In turn, I've connected you to his emotions. Sadness, pain, fear, love, happiness… you will be able to feel every one of them when he does." She said, turning gentle eyes on the still sleeping prince.

"Great…" Reaver said sarcastically, "Why?"

She frowned again, turning back towards him. "To help you accept your love for each other. He loves you, very much, and you _both_ know this. But he does not know that you love him back."

"Because I _don't_ …" Reaver gritted out, "I… I _can't_ …" he corrected himself, hanging his head and closing his eyes. "You _have_ to undo the spell… nothing you say will change my mind."

"I can't." she told him and he scowled at her.

"Then how can I undo it?"

"By accepting your love for Hiro."

" _No._ "

She frowned then and lowered her head, drifting her eyes to the young prince and she sighed, "There is… another way… but-"

" _Tell_ me."

"To kill the one with the purest heart… and that, I'm afraid, is the young prince. Hiro…"

Reaver fell silent, the order Logan gave him flashing in his head, but he squashed it, before it could do any damage. "He can't know…" he finally said, "because the second he gets the thing he's always wanted, it will be ripped from his hands and he will be left heartbroken. Because I won't be able to hide any longer if I show him… if I tell him. Logan will find out and he _will_ find a way to get rid of me… permanently."

"You can live with the spell forever, but Hiro may not survive the relationship you have now."

"Then I'll stay away from him."

"Are you sure?"

Reaver was silent for several seconds before he nodded. "It's the only way I can protect Hiro from his brother."

-0-

When Hiro woke up, Reaver was gone and he was alone.


	5. Chapter Four

_Confusion…_

That was the first that he felt, sitting on top of the castle walls, watching Logan in the courtyard with a frown on his face. But he wasn't the one confused.

_Pain…_

_Anger…_

Both in succession. Closing his eyes tightly, he willed the emotions that weren't his away and then he realized what it was, the second that the last two emotions hit him.

_Sadness…_

_Loss…_

"Hiro…"

Quickly making his decision, he made his way down to the ground, waiting for Logan to be alone, and then he made his announcement.

"I can't kill him."

He expected the punch that came after his confession.

-0-

Hiro had started down the path back towards the camp, unsure how long he'd been out and how long he'd been gone. He knew the others hadn't followed him and he was grateful, but he also knew they were worried about him and he didn't want them to wait any longer for his return.

He cried out at the sudden pain he felt, crumbling to his knees and cupping his cheek and jaw, but he had no idea what just happened.

And then he remembered the woman and why she was there.

The story was true.

And their souls, Reaver and his own, were bound physically.

"R-Reaver…"

But he didn't understand, because the woman had heard it herself.

Reaver didn't love him.

Not like he loved Reaver.

His hands moved then to his neck and he choked on his saliva, eyes closed tightly, before he opened them and he used his magic to block out most of the pain, enough so he could stand up.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was running back towards the camp, determination washing over the pain and hurt he felt.

So maybe the spell wouldn't let him have his happy ever after with Reaver, but he knew one thing for certain: he would do everything in his own power to give his kingdom it's happy ever after.

-0-

"Hiro!" Benn was the first to acknowledge his presence in the camp, but he wasn't the first to realize that Hiro was on a mission.

"What are you doing?" Page frowned in confusion, following after the prince, who had shoved his way into the main tent and both she and Benn watched as he dragged out several maps, all of the castle and of the city grounds. "Hiro…?"

"There are entrances to the city here, here, and here." Hiro started, pointing to each of the gate entrances. "But there are also underground entrances via the sewers, here and here. We can take those to get inside."

"No, wait, hold on. What the bloody hell are you going on about?" Benn waved his hands in front of him, trying to get Hiro to stop and pay attention to him. "What _happened_ while you were gone?"

This had Hiro pausing and he cringed when he finally registered the pain he felt from Reaver's side of the binding spell. "I… I just realized it was finally time I took back what is mine…" he murmured, looking up, and he paused when he saw Walter, near the tent opening and when the old man nodded, he allowed the weakest smile to flit to his face before Page made it fall right off.

"That's _suicide_. We don't have enough soldiers on our side. We'll lose the war before we even start it and Logan-"

"Leave my _brother_ to me." Hiro hissed, clenching his fists on the maps underneath his hands. "You all need to keep the guards busy while I make my way into the castle from this entrance here, from the courtyard. We'll strike at noon, so he'll be in the throne room."

"What about that bastard Reaver?" Page huffed, crossing her arms and Hiro flinched, letting out a shaky breath.

"We… we don't have to worry about him." He murmured, mostly to himself, before he continued relaying his plans, repeating the strategy over and over until finally Page, Benn, and Kidd were all on board.

And when they left to prepare, Walter stayed with him. "What happened Hiro?"

"My mother's story is true…" was all he answered with, but Walter had never needed elaboration before, so why start now?

-0-

"My brother thinks he's so clever," Logan snorted, sitting atop his throne, twirling a knife around in his hands, before turning to glare daggers at Reaver, who sat casually on the floor before him, as if he wasn't chained and at the king's mercy. "Tell me, Reaver, how did that pathetic little brat turn you over to his side?"

"Whoever said he turned me? I never was your little pet to begin with, Logan, what makes you think I ever obeyed all of your orders?" Reaver asked, tilting his head up and he tensed, though barely, when Logan stood up, stalking towards him with a violent scowl on his face.

"I am your _king_. You will address me as such." He spat and Reaver smirked, aware of how much trouble he could get himself into.

"You were _never_ my king, Logan. Your mother was a greater ruler than you ever have been and Hiro may end up being just as great as she was-" he choked on his blood, spitting it out when Logan kicked him down, pressing his boot against his rib cage.

_Pain…_

"F-fuck…!" he cursed, registering emotions that weren't his and he panicked, eyes closed tight as he remembered that whatever pain he felt, Hiro felt it too.

" _What_ did he _do_ Reaver? What did he offer you that you just couldn't _resist_ …?" Logan hissed, lowering his voice as he knelt down beside Reaver, not removing his boot, but not putting any more pressure either.

Reaver opened his eyes, glaring at Logan, trying to recover what little of his façade he could after the mini panic attack. "A kingdom worth living in." Because Hiro may not believe he could ever be as great a ruler as his mother, but Reaver believes not only that, but more.

Another kick and more pain that was both his and not.

"A kingdom filled with happiness… and equality…"

A hit to his head against the ground and this time he couldn't even tell what pain was his and what wasn't, his vision swimming.

"O-one… where you can l-love freely…"

Logan paused with this one and his eyes narrowed, " _What_ …?"

Reaver, realizing what he said, kept quiet this time, knowing that if he continued, he'd say something he would regret for the rest of his life.

But Reaver didn't _need_ to say anything, because Logan somehow understood and he sneered, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "You love my brother." The immortal panicked again, the fear visible this time and Logan smirked viciously, before his boot came crashing down, again and again and again.

_Pain…_

_Anger…_

_Fear…_

-0-

Nothing…

Hiro froze, eyes wide, arms wrapped around his stomach.

"N-no… no, no, _no…!_ " he cried out, fear and anger and pain consuming him from the inside out.

"Hiro?!" Walter entered the tent, eyes narrowed before they widened and he went over to the prince's side. "Hiro!"

"R-Reaver… he…"

"We'll get him back, Hiro."

"Logan will pay… for everything he's done…" Hiro whispered back, the anger replacing any pain and fear he felt, but Walter said nothing in return.

-0-

"Page, you and Kidd will take the southern gate; Benn, the northern; Walter, the east. Make as much noise as you can and draw Logan's soldiers out to you." Hiro said, regarding each with a look of determination and something else that had never been on his face before. "We may not have much in this war, but we _will_ win."

Walter was the first to say anything after this and he looked at the others, "No matter what happens, will always have each other." He said and Benn let out a sharp sigh before looking down at Lexal, then to Page and Walter, and finally to Hiro.

Nodding his head, Benn shouted, "For Albion!"

"For my kingdom…" Hiro murmured when Page, Lexal, and Walter repeated Benn's words.

-0-

The bells tolled and the sounds of metal against metal seemed to be everywhere by the time Hiro made his way to the courtyard. And from there, into the castle.

Hiro had lost count of how many guards he'd killed or knocked unconscious on his way to the throne room, but when he got there, he had nothing but pure anger left within him, everything else left behind him in the forests of Albion and the city of his kingdom.

"Logan!" Hiro shouted, his voice loud and tight, as he marched through the hall leading to the throne room. Within the first minute of entering the large room, the doors banging open from his hard entrance, he had killed two guards. And by the time he finally caught sight of his brother, three more were knocked unconscious by either his blade or his magic.

"Hello again, _baby brother_ …"

Hiro growled at Logan's low, teasing tone, but what had him frozen was the sight of Reaver, at Logan's feet. The man was broken and bruised, but alive. "Reaver…" Hiro breathed out, taking a step forward, a wave of relief crashing through him, powerful enough that Reaver finally looked up at him, coffee eyes bleary before they focused on him.

"Sparrow…" Reaver tensed before recovering from the slight panic he felt at seeing Hiro before them. "Well, don't I feel _special_ … the pretty little prince come to rescue me?" he spat, hoping to drive Hiro away so he wouldn't get hurt.

_Surprise…_

_Confusion…_

_Pain…_

"You should leave before you get _hurt_." Reaver added, eyes hard as he stared at the frozen prince just mere feet from them.

"W-what…?" Hiro shook his head before taking another step forward, only stopping when Logan sat up straight on his throne. "Y-you're a selfish prick Reaver, but I'm not about to leave you in the hands of my _brother_!"

_Anger…_

_Determination…_

"How precious…" Logan sneered, standing up now, mere inches away from Reaver and the immortal tensed up. "My baby brother come to save his one and only love… _Pathetic._ You should surrender now while you still have the chance and maybe, _just maybe_ , I'll spare you _both_ from humiliation."

"Give it _up_ Logan. I'm not here just for Reaver. I'm here to take back my kingdom! The kingdom you're dragging down into _ruin_." Hiro bristled, raising his sword and pointing it at his brother. "Are you willing to risk the chance of defeat by fighting me?" he taunted, unable to help it and he barely caught the hint of a smirk crossing Reaver's face before it lowered, only to be jerked back and up when Logan took a hold of his hair.

Reaver felt a mix of anger and fear, both his own and Hiro's, when he heard the young prince's gasp.

"Are _you_ willing to risk your precious little Reaver's life?" Logan taunted back, expression dark but smug. "Take another step towards me, little brother, and I'll make sure to put the knowledge I've learned on how to kill something immortal to good use."

"N-no… don't! Leave Reaver out of this!" Hiro choked out, eyes wide and panicked, his sword lowering only slightly, though he did take a step back. "T-this thing… it's between me and you! Let Reaver go!"

"Now, where would the _fun_ in that be?" Logan cackled, brandishing a gleaming silver blade and putting it to Reaver's heart. "I wonder what will happen if I just…" he dug the blade into Reaver's skin, enough to draw blood and Reaver hissed at the pain and when he heard Hiro let out a choked sound.

"S-stop…!" Hiro pleaded, clutching his hand to his heart. "Y-you don't _understand_ …!"

Logan's eyes narrowed as he stared at Hiro, and he smirked, digging the knife in a little deeper until Hiro fell to the floor, his sword falling to the ground with a loud clatter. "Oh, I think I understand _quite_ perfectly…" he purred, loudly through the room and Hiro trembled. "Tell me, little brother… who is the one _purest of heart_ …?"

Hiro looked up with blue eyes darkened by anger and pain, but he didn't answer, because he didn't know himself. It couldn't have been him, but then Reaver's eyes met his and he knew it _was_. He was the one purest of heart and without Reaver die of a broken one. "I… I'll _die_ without him…" he finally whispered, acknowledging that for the first time and Reaver kept his gaze for a few seconds longer before hanging his head, unable to look the little prince in the eyes any longer.

"I never would have guessed that Mother's stories were ever _true_ … would you have, brother?" Logan sneered, eyes glinting as he dragged the knife lightly over Reaver's skin, delighting in Hiro's little whimper. "Tell me, why should I not just kill two little birds with one stone? Tell me why I shouldn't just dig this knife into Reaver's heart and watch as it tears you apart little by little until you no longer have the will to live?"

Hiro shook his head sharply at that and made a little noise in protest, "N-no! P-please… I-I'll do _anything_ …!" he cried, pleading to his brother. "Y-you _can't_ kill him… p-please…"

"Anything?" Logan smirked.

"No!" Reaver hissed, only to be silenced when Logan slammed his head into the ground, enjoying far too much when Hiro cried for the immortal.

"I-I'll do anything… L-Logan… j-just _please_ … y-you have to promise to leave Reaver alone… a-and you have to promise not to hurt my friends…" he pleaded and Logan frowned at him, regarding him with wariness and curiosity.

"I never understood why Mother liked you best, _Hiro_ …" Logan started, standing up and he smirked, "you've always had a weak heart. Too easily swayed by those you _love_ …" he spat out the word and Hiro flinched, "it's sickening. But it never fails to amuse me how _easily_ I win our _battles_. It's why _I_ became King of Albion, and not _you._ "

Hiro stayed silent during all of this, trembling with a mixture of pain and anger and sorrow, because this was not how he wanted to this war to end. But if that meant Reaver and the others could survive the end of it all… he would surrender everything he had to his brother.

"I could accept your offer and end your life here and now," Logan continued, his tone light and carefree, "or I could keep you in my dungeons and let my guards play around with you first, for as long as they liked, until they grew _tired_ of you." Hiro shivered at the implications of the words, but he bit his tongue, even as Reaver struggled to get up, to _protest_ , but Logan only kept him down with his foot against Reaver's back. "How does that _sound_ , little brother? But then, how can I trust you'll stay put like a good little bird?" he teased and Hiro glared at him, dark and dangerous, but still said not a word.

"N-no…" Reaver choked out, gritting his teeth and Hiro's chest tightened with pain, his heart clenching as he watched Reaver struggle under his brother. "Y-you _can't_ …" and for the first time, Hiro heard the fear in Reaver's voice and understood why his brother was doing this.

So he surrendered, fully and completely, to his brother.

"If you leave Reaver, and my _friends_ alone," he stressed his words, "I'll leave. For good and I… I won't come back."

Logan hummed, the frown back on his face, even as Reaver stared at the young prince with wide eyes, disbelieving what he was hearing. Then Logan snapped his fingers and with a dark, smug grin, the doors behind Hiro slammed open, and soldiers brought in Page, Kidd, Lexal, Benn, and Walter, all tied up and at Logan's mercy. "Do repeat that, _little brother_ , for all your precious friends to hear."

Hiro let out a shaky breath, but refused to look at the others, keeping his gaze on his brother's. "I'll _leave_ Albion and never return… if you promise not to harm Reaver, Benn, Lexal, Walter, Page, _or_ Kidd."

"Oh but… dear little _Hiro_ … have you _forgotten_ the magic across Albion's border?" Logan drawled and Hiro huffed, shaking with barely contained anger.

"I… I can get through…" he said, lowering his eyes so as not to see the anger in his brother's own. "My… my magic… M-Mother always told me I would be as great as her one day…"

"Such a _pity_ she's _gone_ … Poor Mother would never be able to see how her little _Sparrow_ has grown… and what a _waste_ her teachings were if you're useless to Albion herself." Logan snarled and Hiro snapped his head up, furious and he reached out to grab his sword, only to be stopped when Logan pressed his foot down harder against Reaver's pain and he froze.

"D-don't say things like that…!" Hiro hissed nonetheless, trembling and his knuckles turned white from how tight he was gripping the hilt of his sword.

"What do _I_ care if I say things like that or not? Mother is _gone_. And soon, so will you be." Logan said and tilted his head up. "As King of Albion, I hereby decree that you, Hiro, are no longer a Prince of Albion and are banished from the kingdom from here on forth and are to _never_ return. And should you return, you will be _killed_ on sight, as will your precious _friends_ and every other traitor to Albion and her king."

Hiro held Logan's gaze as best as he could, even as he was forced to drop his sword and hand over his bow, his hands cuffed behind his back and he was led from the throne room, refusing to catch the eyes of his most trusted friends and allies.

"Your one and only _hope_ , gone." Logan hissed with a delighted smirk, forcing Reaver to watch the back of his precious little _Sparrow_. He was left wondering when he would ever see him again, and regretting every chance he threw away to tell Hiro how he really felt.


	6. Chapter Five

"Get _moving_." One of the guards at his back growled at him and Hiro snorted, throwing a glare at the guard from over his shoulder.

"Push me again," he muttered, daring the guard to do so. "I'm still able to use my magic."

The guard's backed away an inch, each wary of the exiled prince, but did nothing more than that. "Just keep moving, King Logan won't be very happy if you start resisting us after what happened."

"My brother may have banished me from my home, but I am _still_ the prince." Hiro spat, holding his head high, stance tall and rigid, how his mother taught him.

"Right," one of the guards snorted and another mock bowed to him.

"Your _Highness_ ," he snickered and then all the guards- save the one at his back- were laughing and Hiro felt not only irritation, but he felt lost more than anything. His friends and Reaver, especially, may still be alive… but by leaving his home in the hands of his dangerous and cruel brother, he was losing everything he'd ever known.

"We're here," the guard at his back spoke up, after several days of walking and camping, with Hiro as their prisoner, and Hiro finally looked up, drained as he was and exhausted. His heart skipped a beat and his shoulders slumped when he saw the engraved arch that led to a long bridge, shrouded with magic that made Hiro's own hum and itch, desperate to be unleashed. "We can go no further."

"Thank you…" he whispered, to the only guard that had still treated him like the prince he was and felt a hand at his shoulder.

"Good luck…" the guard whispered back, before releasing the young prince from the cuffs and he backed away, all five watching as Hiro held his hand out, testing the barrier.

He felt the magic surround him and he pushed through, gritting his teeth as the foreign magic tried to suffocate him. But with one last push on his end, he was through the barrier and no longer in Albion.

-0-

"We lost…" Page trembled, standing against the back of the cells, against the brick. "We lost and Hiro just… _left_." Her anger was visible through her words and Benn frowned, looking up at her, Lexal curled up in his lap, too numb to do anything but lay down by his lover.

"He didn't abandon us if that's what you're on about," he hissed at her, glaring at the red head. "He'll be back, I know he will."

"No he _won't_." Page snapped. "Did you not see his face, his _eyes_? He _left us_ to _die_ in the hands of his _brother_! All for that fucking prick!" she threw her arm out, fist hitting against the metal bars that connected her cell to Reaver's, who sat against the brick wall, staring at the ground.

"Leave Reaver out of this, Page," Walter muttered, standing up and walking to his cell door, sighing. "Hiro did the right thing. If not for him, we'd all be dead, including the prince, and then we'd be nowhere. So we haven't lost yet. Maybe the battle yes, but…"

"Not the war," Kidd finished for him, snorting. "Come on old man, we've been had. The little prince won't come back for us, you heard him. As sincere as they come. He was _scared_ and he did what every coward does-"

He was cut off by the sharp rattle of chains and he backed away from the bars when Reaver reached out for him, though he wasn't quite fast enough as Reaver snatched his collar, pulling him hard against the metal. " _Fuck_ you, you don't have _any_ idea what Hiro felt like when he said those things. No _idea_ what he felt like when he was forced to _leave_ everything behind. Including your sorry ass!" he seethed, eyes blazing and only Walter was the one unsurprised by Reaver's violent outburst.

"And what? You do? Bullshit!" Page snarled and Reaver let go of her brother, pushing him down before turning to her with a sharp glare, his chains rattling with his movement.

"Yes, as it so happens, I _do_. I know _exactly_ what he felt like… how _angry_ he was at his brother, how _scared_ he was at losing all of your pathetic asses to that tyrant. I know exactly how fucking _sad_ he felt when he was leaving… so _don't_ call Hiro a coward. He was, _is_ , anything but. And when he returns-"

"- _if_ he returns," Page growled and Reaver ignored her.

" _When_ he returns, I'll tell him _exactly_ how much faith you had in him to come and _save_ you and take back his home."

"Right and since when have you cared about what was rightfully Hiro's?" Benn muttered, frowning as he looked down at Lexal, not exactly agreeing with Page or Kidd, but still wary and upset about how things turned out.

"Because it just so happens to be that the little Sparrow is someone special to me and always has been," Reaver growled out, before slumping his shoulders and he sighed, "despite how much of a dick I've been to him…"

Walter frowned, regarding Reaver with a strange expression, "I've heard a lot of things about you from Hiro, and while he would tell me no matter how bad you were, you had your good points too… I could never understand how he fell for someone like you."

" _What_!?" Page growled out, disbelief coloring her words and confusion and surprise flitted over Benn's and Kidd's own while Reaver frowned at Walter, not sure how to take his words yet.

"Hell, I still think you're selfish and an arse with an ego even bigger than Benn's-"

"H-hey!" Benn spluttered and a smirk barely crossed Reaver's lips.

"- _but_ , I see now what he means. And the truth is, I had thought you were only using Hiro…" Walter sighed and lowered his head, missing the guilt that crossed Reaver's expression before it hardened. "I don't anymore." He finished and Reaver faltered, gripping the bars of his cell tightly.

"What are you getting at old man?" Reaver spoke, slow but steady, not giving anything in his voice away.

"I'm saying, Reaver, that when you get a second chance... you should take it and don't ever let Hiro go." Walter said, finally, with a smile towards Reaver and the immortal relaxed, finally, after what seemed like a few tense seconds.

"Hold _on_ , are you actually saying that Hiro likes this _creep_!?" Page snarled, disgust crossing her features and Walter glared at her, but he didn't have to say anything, as Benn spoke up for him.

"Okay," he started slowly, frowning, unsure, "not that I'm saying I totally approve, but… hey, if Hiro likes you… I think I can live with it. Just… don't go throwing me to the wolves again, okay?" Benn offered a tentative grin and Page snapped her head towards the blonde, eyes wide.

"You _can't_ be serious! After _everything_ he's done to us! You're actually-"

"Look, Page, I get that he was on the evil side doing dirty work for Logan-"

"One second," Reaver snorted, "I never did _dirty work_ for that bastard. I wasn't and never have been his _pet_ ," he added with a sharp scowl and Page glared back at him.

"Could have fooled _me_ -"

" _Page_ ," Benn hissed before sighing and he started petting Lexal's head, "as long as you," he started again, staring at Reaver, "don't hurt Hiro, and _trust me_ when I say that _if_ you do, I will kill you myself," he threatened, eyes narrowed and Lexal barked and growled in agreement, lifting his head from Benn's lap to glare at Reaver himself. "But, as long as you _don't_ , I don't care what you and Hiro do. It makes sense though, if I'm honest, how he reacted whenever your name was brought up in conversation, and whenever Page would insult you," both Reaver and Page snorted at that, and Kidd snickered, "but…"

"Yeah, I get it," Reaver sighed, looking up, frowning now. "He'll be back, I _know_ he will… and when he does… I'll make things right with him." He added, the last part mostly to himself, rather than to the others.

-0-

Logan grinned smugly to himself, sat atop his throne, twirling a cane in his hands. "Albion is _finally_ all mine. No pathetic little baby brothers to try and steal what is _mine_ …!"

"King Logan!"

"To the King!"

"Long live the King!"

"Long live the King, indeed…" Logan purred, relishing in the cheers his soldiers and guards showered him in. When he was finally left alone with his most trusted men, he turned to them with a dark smirk, "Go to the temple and get a mage loyal only to me. Tell them to cross the border, and track down the little _Sparrow_ … and _kill_ him once and for all."

"Yes, my Lord."


	7. Chapter Six

It's been seven months since Hiro had been banished from Albion and he made an honest, though empty, life as a sell sword. He took care of bandits, of assassins, of criminals, and of monsters for anyone willing to pay and even those who didn't care if he got his money or not.

No one cared who he was. All they cared about was that he was good at what he said he was good at.

He missed his home, his kingdom, and his friends… but most of all, he missed Reaver.

He heard news, every now and then, from Albion, but never anything worthwhile. And though several times he had been tempted to go back, every time going as far as the bridge, he could never work up the strength or the heart to cross the barrier again. He wouldn't risk breaking his side of the promise, not over something as silly as being homesick.

"Hiro?" Hiro looked up startled from his thoughts, and turned his head to the side, to where a young woman was, standing at the doorway of his little room at the little inn in a no name village miles from the bridge crossing into Albion. "Are you alright?"

"I… I'm fine Lila, just…" he sighed and looked out the window once more before turning fully away from it and he grabbed his cloak. "Just preparing for the hunt…" he finished lamely and she offered a sad smile to him as he pulled the cloak over his head and grabbed the sword he'd forged himself a week after settling into the first village he'd come across, before moving to the next.

"I see…" she hummed and then held out a small basket. "I brought up bread and cheese for you. I know you tend to forget to eat, oft before hunts, and you'll need your strength for this one, I would think."

"Thank you," he said politely, taking the bread and cheese, taking a bite of each, just to please her, before setting them in his pouch, no doubt to be forgotten later on. He rubbed at his arm, a phantom pain making itself known there, but ignored it, just as he's ignored every other kind of pain he felt through the bond, wishing that it wasn't there, not for the first time.

It was hard enough to deal with his heart hurting on its own, let alone dealing with the bond putting more pressure on his heart.

He feared one day it would actually break and, well, then where would he be?

He made his way outside, frowning at the bright sunlight, not reflecting his mood one once, before shrugging it off and he walked down the path, to where the balverine nest was rumored to be.

The forest he came across after a while, still heading along the path, was dark and the perfect place for a balverine.

He was emotionless as he tracked the creature down, his heart no longer in the things he once enjoyed.

When he found the first balverine, it came as no surprise that the creature got in the first hit, catching him across the chest and tearing his cloak.

He retaliated by cutting its head right off its shoulders.

-0-

Albion was in ruins since the prince had left… had _abandoned_ them, so the people say, and so Page had them believing. Benn and Lexal were weak, Page was furious and had only pushed herself closer and closer to the breaking point with each fight she caused, Kidd fell ill and no longer had the will to fight, and Walter… Logan didn't like what Walter had to say and broke his promise within the first _week_ that Hiro had crossed the border.

Walter was dead and Reaver didn't know who was next at this point.

Him, possibly, if only Logan could find him.

Reaver had got out of there the second he figured out how, promising Benn and Lexal to be back for them.

Within the first month, Reaver had felt emotions so strong his heart clenched at the fact that Hiro was hurting, physically _hurting_ to be away from them and away from his home. By the time the second month came around, he could start to feel how _empty_ Hiro felt, and though there were bursts of emotions, of fear or anger or _longing_ … it wasn't long until that emptiness had taken over him and he spent nights awake, wishing that Hiro was there, with _him_ , and not miles away in a no name village.

When the forth month rolled around, Reaver had discovered not only could he not get through the barrier by himself, but that Logan had sent an assassin after Hiro, to get rid of him like Reaver could not.

"Oh little Sparrow…" Reaver frowned as he stared at the medallion in his hands, before he closed his eyes tightly and he pressed it against his forehead, "I'm so _sorry_ … It's my fault this happened… if only… if only I had been fast enough to save your mother…" he finished in a tony, barely there whisper.

He spent the fifth month searching of ways to get across the border, so he could finally use the medallion the late queen had given him to find the little prince. And when the sixth month came and gone, he was finally across the border, but not without a heavy price that he had been more than willing to give up, if only just for Hiro.

Only _ever_ for his little Sparrow.

When he crossed the border, it was the first time he felt _pain_ that wasn't his own and he grinned, because that meant Hiro was _alive_ and he wasn't too late.

"I'm coming, my little Sparrow."

-0-

It was three weeks after he'd crossed the border that he finally heard any word of where Hiro was, and he learned that Hiro had taken jobs from several people to hunt down monsters or people, just to keep himself from thinking of his home and what he was forced to leave behind. But that was also when he discovered that another man, one of magic and covered in scars, had asked where the little prince had gone to as well.

When he got to the next village, he nearly crumbled to the ground, his hands flying to his chest when he felt phantom claws rake across his chest and he felt fear take hold of him, his blood running cold at the thought that he could already be too late.

"Hiro…" he choked out and gripped the medallion tightly, closing his eyes before opening them again, coffee eyes blazing, "Hiro!"

-0-

Balverine after balverine, Hiro took them apart, spilling blood that was both his own and not, but he ignored the scratches that bled deep and the bruises that formed from being thrown around. He was barely standing by the time the last balverine fell, its silver fur gleaming in the filtered sunlight through the dark green leaves of the canopy above him. "I… I know you're there…" he let out, closing his eyes as he heard the rustle of the bushes behind him and before he could react, he was thrown against a tree mere feet in front of him. He heard his ribs crack as he fell to the hard ground, his cheeks scratched against a little thistle bush and he struggled to get up, as the foreign voice floated to his ears.

"You're very perceptive for someone whose heart is weak." The man smirked and Hiro lifted his emotionless gaze towards the stranger.

"Who are you?" he asked, sitting up and he wiped the blood from his cheek, the blood-loss from the balverine scratches getting to him.

"A man here to settle an old grudge," he answered and lifted his hand, easily lifting Hiro up from the ground, cutting off his air supply with his magic. "I'm lucky I got to you after the balverine's did a number on you. I've heard many a rumor about how strong you are, sword skill and magic both and I feared facing you at full strength, I admit."

"C-coward…" Hiro choked out, though his heart wasn't in his words and the man smirked, knowing that. "Just… just finish it already…" he stopped fighting the magic warring with his own and the man narrowed his eyes, the smirk still on his face.

"Oh? Giving up are we? And here I thought you were going to be more of a challenge." He squeezed his hand and Hiro screamed.

-0-

Reaver was _so close_ … but not nearly close enough.

His grip was tight on the medallion and he ran as fast as his feet could carry him, but it just _wasn't fast enough_.

One second the phantom scratches were all he could feel and then he was feeling the worst possible pain ever, his heart squeezing inside him and he fell to the ground, clutching at his chest, choking on his breath. His vision swam and he moved one hand to the ground beneath him, only just realizing there was a ring, glowing white-gold around his wrist and he gritted his teeth as it flashed.

Suddenly the bracelet _broke_ and Reaver's entire being froze, his heart feeling as if someone had taken a knife to it.

" _No!_ " he roared, sending several woodland creatures scurrying away from him, before he took the medallion in his hands and he used the magic Hiro's mother had gifted him. One second he was on the forest floor and then the next he was standing behind a man, scarred, who was using magic to hold the limp prince off the ground. " _You son of a bitch!_ " And then he had his gun out and before the man could even turn around, his gun went off, shooting several rounds into the man's head and chest, killing him instantly.

Reaver was at Hiro's side, catching him in his arms, before the man even hit the ground.


	8. Chapter Seven

" _Fuck_ …! No, Hiro… _no_!" Reaver hugged Hiro to his chest, kneeling on the ground with the young prince in his arms. "I'm _here_ now, you _can't_ be gone already… Hiro… _Sparrow_..."

-0-

The bond was broken in a way the woman feared wouldn't happen to the young prince and the immortal, and she watched, heartbroken as the man cried over his lover's body. Clenching her fist tightly, she sighed and looked up at the sky, offering it a small sad smile, "I promised you I would give your son the happy ever after he deserves… so that's what I'm going to do. Just promise me he'll look after the kingdom like you once did… and be the greatest king Albion has ever known."

The wind picked up around her, in answer, blowing her dress back and forth and her smile turned a little less sad and little more happy as she turned to the young prince and the immortal once more and she clenched her hand over her heart, her hand glowing, and as the wind picked up, blowing leaves and flower petals all around them, she disappeared into it.

Giving her life, for the young prince.

-0-

The second he felt the faint heartbeat against his chest and the light breath against his cheek, he had _never_ been more relieved. Ignoring the wind against his back, he tore Hiro's cloak from his body and replaced it with his own coat, before picking the young prince up and he started back for the village.

-0-

The first thing he registered when he woke up was the sharp pain in his chest, head, back, and arms. The second thing he registered was how _light_ his heart felt, for the first time, and he frowned, groaning softly in both confusion and pain. He heard a sharp intake of breath beside him and finally opened his eyes, registering then that he was in his room at the inn and that the person beside his bed was the last person he would ever expect at his bedside.

He knew that Reaver knew he was awake and was staring, but neither spoke, as Reaver just sat there in the chair beside Hiro's cot, the queen's medallion in his hands.

When Reaver finally spoke, his voice was quiet, thoughtful almost, "When your mother became ill… she entrusted your care into mine." He started, sighing softly and Hiro swallowed hard, unsure if he wanted to listen to Reaver talk about his mother's death, but Reaver pushed on, despite knowing how hard it was for Hiro to listen. "She told me once… that she wanted you to take her place when she could no longer rule the kingdom and her people. She had said that it was your heart, not your strength or your skill, that would lead the kingdom to greatness and when she was in her last moments, she gave me her medallion. She said 'take care of him, Reaver… protect him with your life and never let my baby face the cruel, selfish world alone.' So I did… I took the medallion and I promised her I would take care of you, but then… I became blinded."

"R-Reaver…?"

Reaver shook his head and finally looked into Hiro's teary blue eyes, moving over so he was sitting on his bed, beside him. "I failed your mother like I failed you, when your brother came into power. I was blinded by that and by the time I realized what had happened, it was already too late… but I still tried to protect you from everything he ever did. I only realize now that… maybe your mother trusted the wrong person…"

"…no." Hiro spoke up, grimacing at the way his voice sounded and he tried again, when Reaver looked at him in wary confusion. "No… she didn't. She… she knew, somehow… and she was right… if ever I had become king, the person who would be best by my side, who I wanted by my side… was you. And she knew that…" he sighed and struggled to sit up, leaning against the headboard. "It's too late now though…" he murmured, deflating lightly.

"It's not-"

But before Reaver could explain, Hiro cut him off, "Why are you here, Reaver? How…" he paused then and frowned and he snapped his head up, "h-how did you even _cross_ the border?"

Reaver grimaced then and clenched his fists against the blanket, "I… made a deal." He muttered, swallowing hard against the words. "I traded my immortality to cross the border so I could find you and… and bring you home."

"W-what…? B-but _why_ …? R-Reaver, I _can't_ … I made a _promise_ -"

"A promise to your _brother_ , who broke his own within the first _week_ ," Reaver snapped, eyes blazing and Hiro flinched, tense as a log but that only caused him pain from his injuries.

"N-no…"

"He _killed_ Walter, Hiro, because Walter told him, _promised_ him one day you would return for your throne. And that mage, that _assassin_ , was one _he_ sent to kill you, so you _wouldn't_ return to reclaim _your_ throne." Reaver stressed, telling him the hard truth and Hiro hung his head, trembling in what Reaver could only guess was anger or pain.

"W-why me…?" Hiro choked out, curling in on himself, tears streaking down his cheeks now and Reaver felt his heartstrings being tugged.

"Little Sparrow…" he cooed, not sure what to do, but he did the only thing he could think to do and gathered the little prince in his arms, promising him the world and whispering sweet nothings to him until he calmed down enough to talk again.

"I… I'm sorry…" he let out a shaky breath, releasing his tight grip on Reaver's arm and then he paused, just as Reaver was about to tell him that it was alright, as if in realization. "I… I hurt you… and I didn't even feel it…" he swallowed hard and looked up at Reaver's face, his eyes filled with hope and curiosity and confusion and love, but Reaver only frowned, closing his own eyes tightly as he rested his forehead against Hiro's head.

"You _died_ …" he bit out, clutching Hiro's shirt. "I got there and the man had already _killed_ you and I… I _snapped_ Hiro… he killed you and I killed him…"

"W-what…?" Hiro breathed out, sounding incredibly disappointed and vaguely upset, "But… but I thought… h-how am I alive?"

"I don't know," Reaver sighed before frowning, lifting his head so he could look at Hiro, who was crying again, though silently this time, "Hiro?" he questioned, brushing the tears away.

"In the story… there are two ways the spell can be broken…" Hiro's voice broke as he spoke, though it was barely above a whisper, and Reaver's eyes widened in realization. "Either the one purest of heart dies and the spell is broken that way or… or they finally accept their love for each other and I… I thought…" he choked on the last few words, trembling now.

"Oh little Sparrow…" Reaver sighed and shook his head, before pulling Hiro back, just a little and he moved a hand under Hiro's chin, "let me tell you a little story," he whispered, searching Hiro's tearful blue eyes and when Hiro nodded, shakily, he let a gentle smile cross his face, "once upon a time, there was a young prince, who was amazing and kind and smart and the most beautiful boy I'd ever laid my eyes on. This boy was under my protection and I made a promise to him mother, one I wasn't keen on breaking then, and I was sure she wouldn't have wanted her most trusted adviser to corrupt her beautiful little Sparrow…" Hiro took in a shaky breath, hands clenching in the material of Reaver's shirt. "But the little prince… he was so innocent and he made it hard for me to stay away, and then the little prince made a confession to me...

"He told me that he loved me." Hiro remembered that night vividly, when he had confessed his feelings, at age sixteen, just a few years ago, and Reaver had turned him down. "And _fuck_ if that hadn't made it a hundred times harder to resist you… but you were stubborn, and every time you told me, it chipped against my resolve. And then one day I thought, 'It wouldn't hurt… just once… give him a piece of what he wants and then that's it.'"

"You… but…" Hiro frowned and looked at Reaver, confusion evident in his baby blues and Reaver sighed again, shaking his head as he looked up at the ceiling.

"That was the first time I let my resolve break and then I just… couldn't stop. And at first you were as happy as any teenager could be in that situation, but then… you wanted more. More than I could give at that time, but when you started to pull away, I had already dug my grave so far deep that I couldn't get out. I didn't know how…"

"W-what do you mean? What are you saying?" Hiro demanded, pulling away from Reaver, only to stop when Reaver's grip tightened around his waist.

"I've wanted you for so long, Hiro… but the first time you told me you loved me, I fell so hard… and I couldn't get back up. And I haven't wanted to for years." Reaver admitted, closing his eyes when he felt Hiro's breath stutter in what he could only guess was shock or surprise.

"Y-you… you mean…?" Hiro could barely _breathe_ when he spoke, his heart fluttering in the hope that maybe, _just maybe_ , Reaver does actually return his feelings.

Reaver nodded, smiling again, and he looked at Hiro, for the first time with all his walls down, "I've never stopped loving you," and then he frowned, guilt and sorrow replacing the happiness he felt at Hiro's own, "and I only wish that I had the strength to tell you… because it's my fault that all of this happened and it… it all could have been avoided if I just- and I… I could have kept my promise… I could have still _protected_ you from-"

Hiro cut him off.

With a kiss.

And Reaver melted into it, pouring everything he felt into it.

"I love you too…"

Hiro cuddled against Reaver's chest, letting out a soft sigh when Reaver pressed his cheek against Hiro's head and they sat there, for the longest time. Neither moved nor spoke, but then, they didn't need to.

-0-

"What am I going to do?" Hiro asked, frowning at the ground, as he walked with Reaver, hand in hand down the stone streets of the little village. "What are _you_ going to do? Without your immortality, you're vulnerable to anything and-"

"It was worth it," Reaver cut him off, rolling his eyes with a fond, amused smirk, "I may not be able to get it back, but you shouldn't worry, I'm not completely useless without it, after all."

Hiro laughed at that and shook his head, "Even against a balverine?" he teased and Reaver snorted, nudging the young prince.

"If you can survive a whole nest full of them, then I'm sure I can handle at least one on my own," he murmured and then frowned when Hiro did. "Sparrow, I'm fine, okay? You should worry more about yourself… and what you're going to do about your kingdom. Albion won't last another month under Logan's rule."

"I know…" Hiro muttered bitterly, looking back in the direction of Albion, eyes dark, but sad. "I never should have trusted him… and now… now because of _me_ Walter is gone and Kidd is as good as dead with his illness. Page… _god_ , Page… she thinks I abandoned her? Everyone?" he whimpered with the thought and his grip tightened around Reaver's hand, enough that the ex-immortal winced with the pain of it. "S-sorry…"

"Don't apologize," Reaver chided him, though he was grateful when Hiro let up a little on his hold. "Hiro… it doesn't matter what has happened, what matters now is what happens next. Are you going to do something about what Logan has done or sit by and watch your kingdom fall into ruin?" The words were hard, but Reaver's tone was not and Hiro hung his head before lifting it up, meeting Reaver's gaze with troubled eyes.

"I don't know what I _can_ do… without an army, I'm _powerless_ against my brother…" he deflated and Reaver sighed, frowning as he pulled Hiro to a sudden stop, turning him around and dragging him into a hug.

"You don't _need_ an army," he said with a smirk, tilting his head when Hiro glared at him in return. "You _don't_. You have magic, and you have me, and you have your people and those that would follow you until the end."

"But…"

"No," Reaver cut him off, before leaning down for a kiss, speaking between kisses, whispering the words against Hiro's lips, "you are… going… to march… straight… into the… castle… and... take back… what is… rightfully… yours." He kissed him again, asking for entrance by nipping at Hiro's lower lip and the prince whimpered, granting it to the older man. When Reaver pulled away, he smirked and whispered teasingly, "See? I told you, you can't resist me."

Hiro smiled, as bright as the sun and as beautiful as the moon, and let out a little delighted laugh, his heart bursting with happiness and love, and he stole another kiss, wrapping his arms around Reaver's neck, blue eyes sparkling like the ocean, "No," he murmured, "but I can try."

"Sure, my little Sparrow, you can try…" Reaver whispered back, sighing happily and leaning back in for one last kiss. "Now, let's go get back your kingdom."

And Hiro matched his grin, as happy as he could be, determination flooding back in, and he nodded his head, taking Reaver's hand in his own, "Let's go _home_ , Reaver."


	9. Chapter Eight

It took less than two weeks to get back to the border of Albion and when Hiro felt the magic that rushed through him, mixing with his own, he grinned for the first time coming back to the bridge. "Hiro?" Reaver questioned, curious, though a smile played at his own lips, especially when Hiro turned back towards him, taking a few steps backwards, onto the bridge and he held out his hands for Reaver to take.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, playfully and with the lightest, happiest laugh he'd ever let out since this whole thing began. Reaver answered in kind, grinning back and accepting Hiro's hands, shivering when he felt the lightest spark of magic on his fingertips. "My magic recognizes you…" Hiro murmured, in awe, with a bit of a blush on his cheeks and he ducked his head when Reaver smirked in return, before pulling Reaver to him in another kiss. "It knows you're mine." He added and Reaver hummed, gripping Hiro's hands tightly.

"I hope it realizes you're also mine," he chuckled when Hiro's blush darkened, but instead of answering, Hiro only stole one last kiss before tugging Reaver back in the direction of Albion, taking it slow so that the barrier would actually let them through.

For Hiro it was as easy as breathing now, but for Reaver, he knew, the magic would be suffocating if he wasn't careful.

On the last stretch, Hiro paused, when the magic was at its strongest and he looked back at Reaver again, seeing the slight distress in the older man's expression.

"Do you trust me?" he repeated the question, voice soft and reassuring.

Reaver answered, "Yes," as honest as he could be, taking a step forward just as Hiro stepped back, and he felt Hiro's heartbeat through his wrist and marveled at how _steady_ it was, beating surely as he led Reaver through the barrier and, finally, into Albion.

-0-

The first thing they did was find Benn and Lexal, freeing them from their prison, and though Benn had been wary, Lexal had been all too happy to finally have his best friend back.

"I promised you," Reaver told Benn, smirking, "I'd bring him back."

"Yeah…" Benn breathed out, relaxing for the first time in months, "you did."

-0-

Benn had then told them about Page and Kidd, how Kidd was on his last rope and Page was nearly close to destroying herself because of that, and because of the decision Hiro had made.

And though Reaver told him it wasn't his fault, that didn't stop him from feeling guilty when he saw them both.

"We need to get him to a healer," Hiro said, gripping Kidd's hand tightly and Benn frowned.

"No healer in Albion will help us…"

"I'm not talking about in Albion…" Hiro said, looking up and he nodded his head when Benn's eyes widened, "send a messenger across the border, look for a healer called Lila, and bring her back here."

"What about-"

"Don't worry about Logan," was Hiro's answer, and he shared a look with Reaver, who nodded his head. "Take care of both Page and Kidd, Reaver and I are going to make things right again."

-0-

"You remember your way to my old mansion," Reaver smirked, and Hiro rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Of _course_ I remember, it's only been a year." He answered and unlocked the door using his magic, pushing the neglected manor open and he didn't even wait for the lights to turn on before he started making his way towards the staircase, towards Reaver's room. "I need a new cloak-"

"No, my dear little Sparrow, what you need," Reaver cut him off, brushing past the startled prince, and moving to his closet, "is something you can't be easily recognizable in." He pulled the doors open and rummaged through it as a stunned, and very confused, Hiro watched him. After a few minutes, Reaver pulled out a black trench coat, one with a hood, and he turned to hand it to the other, who only stared at it. "Go on, try it on. If it fits, I'll get you new clothes to put on under."

Turning back around while Hiro, hesitantly, tried the coat on, he grabbed out a new shirt for himself, pulling off his own, before grabbing out a new, cleaner and somehow whiter coat for himself, grabbing out another top hat that matched the coat, and a spare cane. When he was dressed and ready, he turned back to Hiro, stopping in his tracks when he saw the prince, turning absentmindedly to look himself over.

"You look… stunning," Reaver smiled, reaching out for Hiro with his hand and the young prince took it, striding over with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"I feel ridiculous…" he murmured, though the smile didn't leave and Reaver only chuckled at him, before turning to grab a pair of clean pants and a clean shirt for Hiro to wear. "Thank you, Rea…" he bit at his lower lip when he accepted the clothes, ducking his head as he awaited the reaction to the nickname, but Reaver only smiled and pulled him up for a gentle kiss.

"Go get dressed, little Sparrow, we've a castle to siege." He laughed when Hiro pushed him playfully in retaliation, but Hiro did as told, pulling the coat off before getting dressed in the cleaner and admittedly more comfortable clothes. When he was dressed, with the coat back on, Reaver couldn't help but admire him once more, "You truly are… the most _beautiful_ person I've ever laid my eyes on…"

Hiro blushed, but his smile was no less radiant, "Have you ever wondered why I fell in love with you?" Hiro asked, soft and hesitant and when Reaver frowned, shaking his head, just as hesitant, Hiro continued, "Because all my life I'd never met a man as wonderful as you… you were there for me and my mother through all the hard times and for me when my mother… when she… but that's not the reason… I fell in love with you because you gave me a reason to live and to love. And you gave me a reason to fight for what I thought was right. I felt… so _alive_ when I was with you that I just… and it didn't _matter_ to me that you turned me down at first, because you gave me the courage to try again and again. And around you… I was able to be _myself_ … not the precious little prince that everyone had seen me as… second to his brother and so little and so _fragile_ that everyone treated me like glass, like I could _break_. But you made me feel… strong…" he trailed off, blushing darkly when he realized he'd started on a ramble and Reaver grinned, love and happiness blooming in his chest and he dragged Hiro into his arms, kissing his forehead, his cheeks, then his nose, "W-what?" and Hiro _squeaked_ when he did so, before finally kissing his lips.

" _God_ , could you be any more… _perfect_?"

"S-shut up…!"

-0-

"Are you ready to do this?"

"…no. But if I don't… no one else will."

"Hiro…"

"I… I _know_ …"

"It's _time_ you finally took back what is yours and made things _right_ …"

"For Albion…?"

"No, not this time. For your mother… and for _yourself_."

-0-

Logan was sitting in his throne, listening boredly as his subjects complained about one thing or another, something unimportant to him, when the doors suddenly flew open, seemingly on their own. Several townsfolk stood up, many gasping in shock or terror, and other shouting or murmuring to one another. The guards all took a step forward, on edge, waiting and Logan stood up, enraged that the meeting, no matter _how boring_ was interrupted.

It was seconds later when a loud laugh, low and dangerous, filled the room and then the sound of footsteps, of boots hitting the marble, followed. Logan scowled, expression dark as he watched _Reaver_ of all people, dressed elegantly in white, walked into the throne room. "Guards!"

Immediately several guards rushed forward to seize him, but they were blown backwards by a hard gust of wind, their steel armor suits clanging loudly against the ground and the room fell terribly silent, the townsfolk holding their breath. "Now _now_ , my dear _king_ ," Reaver taunted, giving a low mocking bow and he smirked viciously. "Is that any _way_ to treat a _guest_?"

"Guest!? You're a _traitor_!" Logan roared, grabbing his own sword and he charged at Reaver, enraged beyond reason, but before his blade could come down upon the immortal, it was caught, in between Reaver's hands and he froze, eyes wide.

"Not so _fast_ ," Reaver purred, voice low, and then the smirk morphed into one so familiar and Reaver stole the king's blade from him, pushing him back. Only rather than attacking him back, like Logan expected, he stepped backwards and then to the side, turning his attention towards the entrance and suddenly everyone's eyes were on the figure clothed in black, whose face was covered by the shadow from his hood.

But Logan knew who it was, and he scrambled backwards, gripping at the tile as the figure advanced towards him, "N-no… you're supposed to be _dead_ …!" he spat, stiff and he struggled to get up, but before he could, the figure had taken Logan's own sword from Reaver and held it at the man's throat.

"Am I?" he spoke, smirk so much like Reaver's ghosting across his lips and Logan scowled, backing away a few feet, his _brother_ following after, until he was close enough to a guard that was still on the ground. With one swift move he grabbed the guard's sword and turned it on Hiro, who wasn't the least surprised, his expression hard now and filled with such anger that Logan had never seen before. "Who is the coward now, Logan?" he raised his voice now, sword still at Logan's throat, even though Logan was standing now. "You made me leave so I wouldn't rise up against you, to take back what was mine. You broke your end of the promise and _killed_ Walter because he told you that I would be a greater king than you. That one day I would return, and oh how _right_ he was." He ignored the several gasps in the room and tore off his hood with his free hand. "I am not the one that sent an assassin after his own _brother_ to make sure he never returned. You are the _coward_ , Logan, not I."

" _I am the king_!" Logan shouted, swinging his sword at Hiro, who only blocked it before pushing Logan away with his magic.

"Actually," Reaver piped up, glaring at Logan when he fell to the ground in front of the throne, when Hiro had struck him with his sword, "you lost your right to the title when you _poisoned_ your own _mother_."

Hiro froze then and though Reaver regretted withholding that information from his lover, he knew it was just the right boost he needed to finally win the war.

Hiro growled, low in his throat and used his magic to throw Logan against the throne, dropping Logan's sword to the ground with a clatter, and he stalked closer to his brother, more than furious with this new knowledge. " _Why_ Logan?" he spat, grabbing at Logan's shirt collar.

"She was _weak_ … just like _you_ …" Logan spat, and Hiro trembled, tears crawling down his cheeks and he closed his eyes tightly, before shouting in anger, using his magic to pull his brother off the throne and to the other side of the room. Logan grunted in pain, shouting when he landed, groaning when his head hit the ground. Reaver tsked at him, as murmurs filled the room, and kneeled beside the _king_.

" _Traitor_ …" Hiro's voice trembled with emotion, but he stood tall and regal, "let it be heard by everyone in this room and known by the whole _kingdom_ that you, _Logan_ , have committed _treason_. You _murdered_ our mother, the former queen of Albion and you will _not_ go unpunished and as of this moment, decreed by the _rightful_ _prince_ of this kingdom, you are no _longer_ Albion's king and are sentenced to life in the dungeons." His voice carried across the room and for several long moments it was silent, the guards awake not sure what to do, until finally Reaver took the crown from Logan's head.

"This, my _friend_ , I do believe does not belong to you," Logan growled and tried to take a swipe at Reaver, but the ex-immortal only side-stepped and smirked at him, holding up the crown. "Gentlemen," he said then, turning to the guards and they finally moved, spurred on by this action, but Logan struggled, jerking away from them.

" _No_! I am your _king_!" he shouted and one of the guards paused before he smirked.

"Your _Highness_ …" and then he laughed, the others following, as they left the room to go to the dungeons, Logan's _new_ home. Hiro couldn't help but crack a small smile at that, but it faded the second Logan's screams could no longer be heard, and he lowered his head.

"Hiro…" Reaver murmured, prompting him to look up, not noticing until then how close to the other was then, but Hiro only frowned, when Reaver presented to him the crown.

"No… I… I _can't_ …" he choked out, shaking his head and backing away.

"You _can_. This crown," Reaver held it up, "it's _yours_ , _King_ Hiro." When he held the crown up for all to see and turned to the crowd, he shouted it to the room, "Long live King Hiro!"

It took not even three seconds before the folk in the room, and the guards still left, to repeat the words, shouting and cheering and Reaver turned back to the stunned prince with a genuine smirk. "I… I don't… know what to say…" he whispered, but knelt down any way, his movements on automatic.

"Say you'll promise to protect this kingdom and those that live within her borders. Say that you'll promise to take care of her and never put her in harm's way. Say you'll promise to uphold the oath, and the responsibilities that come with wearing this crown. Say you'll promise…" Reaver paused here and then smiled, gently and lovingly as he stared down at his lover, who had tears in his eyes, "to do your mother proud…" he added, soft, but true and Hiro choked on his breath, nearly unable to speak and he nodded.

"Y-yes… Yes, I-I _promise_. I promise to protect this kingdom, and to take care of her people… of _my_ people. And I promise… to be the best I can be and do everything in my power to make things how my mother would have wanted them to be."

Reaver nodded his head and chuckled, placing the crown atop Hiro's head, before helping him stand and they both turned to the crowd. "Your new king!"

The tears never stopped, though his smile grew as he heard the words the people, _his_ people, said in return, all genuinely honest and _happy_ that he was _finally_ their king.


	10. Epilogue

"I'm so… _proud_ of you…" Reaver whispered, arms wrapped around his lover, as they stood on the balcony that looked over the courtyard, where the people of Albion all were, each celebrating in their own way.

The castle renovations were well under way; Hiro had signed papers to start a project to restore the forests and the lakes and rivers of Albion; he used his _own_ money to rebuild his mother's temple; and he finally started projects Logan had neglected when he became king, finally making things right in his kingdom.

"I hardly did anything…" Hiro muttered, not feeling _happy_ despite it all, and Reaver knew why.

The ex-immortal sighed and let his forehead rest against Hiro's shoulder, "I'm sorry…" he whispered, feeling genuinely so.

"Why…?" Hiro deflated, closing his eyes, a frown on his face, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because she never wanted you to know," Reaver answered, brushing his thumb over one of Hiro's hands, glad when he didn't pull away. "She wanted you to grow up with love in your heart for your brother, no matter his faults, but she also wanted you to have hope that there was good in the world, good that overshadowed the evil that seemed to be everywhere."

Hiro snorted and hung his head, clenching his fists, "Funny how _that_ turned out. She's dead, my friends are in recovery, _Walter_ is dead… and my _brother_ is in the dungeons. What did she have to say about that, huh?"

"She doesn't have to say anything, little Sparrow," Reaver whispered, soft and low, and Hiro shivered, swallowing hard against the tears that wanted to spill.

" _Fuck…_ I _miss_ her… so _much_ …" Hiro choked out and Reaver hugged the young _king_ in his arms when the other turned around in them, burying his face into Reaver's coat. "I wish she was here…"

"I know…" Reaver cooed, brushing his lips against Hiro's forehead, before pulling back and away, though he still held onto the other, offering a gentle smile, "but you want to know what I think?" Hiro sniffled but tilted his head up a little and that was enough of an answer for Reaver to continue, "I think… that you're going to be a great king and that your mother would be proud, just like I am. And Hiro, there is something you should know… whenever you miss her, just know, she will _always_ be with you," he hummed, and Hiro frowned, until Reaver moved his hand over Hiro's heart, "here, and here," he added, kissing Hiro's forehead again before pulling him in for a real kiss.

"It… it doesn't stop it from hurting…" Hiro whispered and Reaver smiled sadly.

"No, it doesn't, does it? But… I'm here, whenever you need me, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I promise." Reaver told him and finally Hiro smiled, shaking his head with a little chuckle.

"Good… because I'm not letting you go…" he said, stubborn and he buried his face into Reaver's chest, blushing when Reaver laughed, loud and vibrant and _happy_.

"I'm counting on it," he answered, pulling Hiro up for one last kiss, "my little Sparrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Last edit you guys! Thanks for reading and I hope I get nothing but good things from you guys!
> 
> Till next time~
> 
> ~ D.C. (Wolf)


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